Coming Home
by blu-eyed-demon
Summary: Post-'Once A Ranger', Adam returns home to his boyfriend having realised that he's getting a little old for the Ranger business. Written in response to a prompt by agape eternal


Summary: Post-Once A Ranger, Adam returns home to his boyfriend having realised that he's getting a little old for the Ranger business. Written in response to a prompt by agape_eternal

Notes: I haven't actually seen Operation Overdrive, I've had to write this fic having read a summary and seen a few clips on youtube. They're the only Adam episodes I haven't seen but the prompt itself worked best at this point in the timeline. Apologies for any mistakes made due to my not having seen the episode,hopefully one day I will and I'll be able to amend anything that's not correct.

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**Coming Home**

His back ached. Though it hurt him to admit it, even to himself, he was just too old for this shit. Slowly, he climbed out of the driver's seat and took a moment to simply stretch out. The long drive hadn't done him any favours, though the crick he heard when he stretched did feel satisfying.

Smiling to himself, he pulled his black shirt back down and stuck his head back in the car for a moment."Be back in a minute Alpha, ok?" He said to the robot seated contently in the back of his car. It hadn't felt right to shut down Alpha for the journey and for the most part it had been nice to have some company for the ride back.  
"Affirmative!" Alpha replied cheerfully, seemingly just pleased to have not been put back in a storage cupboard.

Chatting to Alpha had at least kept him from dwelling on the loss of his powers , in theory it should be getting easier for him to lose them but in reality it only got harder. He couldn't deny that he wasn't as young as he once was though and being around the teenagers had only highlighted the fact to him. It was best to leave the fight to the kids who in their youth weren't yet truly aware of their own morality or limitations. Adam was older now and horribly aware of both as his twinging back ached again as he stood and shut the car door, locking it behind him just to be safe.

Checking his watch, he smiled as it confirmed to him that he was right on time to meet Rocky from work. Since Rocky was covering the evening class usually taught by Adam, he knew his lover should be done with locking up right about now.

He felt himself grinning widely when he finally saw Rocky exiting alone from the front doors and lock them behind himself. He knew that during his unexpected absence someone had probably been brought in to help keep the dojo running and whomever it was, he didn't want to have to explain to them why Alpha 6 was currently in the back seat of his car.

Winter was coming, or the closest they ever got to winter in Stone Canyon, so it was already getting dark. If it hadn't been Adam might've been insulted by how long it took Rocky to not only spot but recognise him. As it was, the moment of recognition was so obvious that all would have been forgiven even if Adam had been offended. Rocky's face split into a huge grin before he started to run towards his best friend and lover. Caught up in the moment Adam too rushed forward, he decided he'd cringe about the cheesy cliché at a later date.

He wrapped his arms around Rocky tightly, kissing the familiar lips eagerly. Saving the world was great and being a Ranger again had felt amazing but none of it compared to the way he felt in Rocky's arms. For a moment he just let everything fall away, it was just them and an intense kiss, nothing else in the world mattered.  
When they parted, cheeks were flushed a little despite the lack of sun.

"I've missed you." Rocky spoke first, grin still wide as his eyes moved over Adam quickly. Initially assuming that Rocky was still stunned he was there, Adam quickly realised he was actually being checked for signs of injury.

"Just a few bumps and bruises, nothing a hot bath and a massage can't fix." Adam assured his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his neck again. "And for the record: I missed you too."

Rocky grinned as he wrapped his arms around his lover's waist firmly, stealing another quick kiss before teasingly saying "I wouldn't have guessed! No calls, no texts; I was beginning to think you'd run off with a younger Ranger."

Adam snorted his amusement. "Yeah, right. Most of the current Rangers firmly class as 'jail-bait' and the ones who don't are still way too young for me. The whole time I was there I probably looked like the sad, creepy old guy who hangs about with teenagers." He pulled a face, voice remaining light and playful as he voiced a genuine concern he'd had.

At first he'd been busy focusing on the mission in hand but the more time he spent talking to the younger Rangers about things that weren't fighting evil, the older and more out of touch he felt. Though at least with Bridge he knew that any references made were flying over everyone's heads and not just his.

"Creepy? You? Nah, you're too sexy to be creepy." Rocky assured him before ruining the compliment by continuing "Anyway, plenty of younger guys are into older men so for all I knew, one of those newer Rangers had a fetish for older guys and was gonna steal you away to be his 'Daddy' and have kinky sex with you."

"See this is why I don't leave you alone for too long. You've got an over-active imagination and watch way too much porn." Adam retorted, pulling out of Rocky's embrace as he rolled his eyes.

"Only because I missed you." Rocky replied happily, carrying his bag over one shoulder as they made their way back to the car.

"Well, if you keep talking about jail-bait Rangers and kinky 'daddy' sex, you'll be missing me tonight too!" Adam grumbled good-naturedly as they walked, taking Rocky's free hand in his almost automatically. It felt good to be holding his hand again.

"Ah, empty threats."

"You wanna find out?" Adam arched his eyebrows in a clear challenge.

"Ok, ok, but you can see my point? Dangerous situations can be sexy, younger and fitter guys were surrounding you, something could've happened." For a moment Rocky's tone was almost serious and Adam knew well enough to know that meant it was something that had honestly bugged his boyfriend and the crude, crass porn jokes were just his way of covering that insecurities. You didn't date someone from the age of nineteen and not learn these character traits and idiosyncrasies. When you'd known them since second grade, you could practically read and predict their responses whilst blindfolded.

Adam snorted, deciding that he was too sore and tired to start a meaningful discussion and so opted instead to continue to light, playful conversation. "The day I leave you for Bridge-"

"Bridge? What kind of name is Bridge? That's a thing not a name." The Former Red Ranger's disgust at the name was clearly exaggerated for comedic effect rather than cruel mocking. Fun and laughter had always been more Rocky's style, his aim in life was just to make sure everyone he cared about was happy.

Adam rolled his eyes. "And Rocky isn't either. It's a verb to describe the landscape, what's your point?"

"Hey, you're not the only one who can withhold sex, you know!"

Adam chuckled for a moment before suddenly realising that Rocky had stopped walking, he tugged the hand gently and looked back to shoot back a smart remark with he noticed Rocky's expression.

"Rock? Rocky? Everything ok?" He waved a hand in front of his lover's eyes with a bemused smile on his own face.

"Is...Is Alpha sitting in the car?" Rocky's voice was tentative, almost incredulous as he squinted as though he might suddenly not see the familiar robot anymore.

"Yup."

"Ok, ok, that's good. Not hallucinating." Rocky nodded, voice faint but evidently relieved. "Hey Adam? Why's Alpha in our car?"

Adam's gaze followed Rocky's to the familiar sight of Alpha, albiet made slightly strange by the fact that he was sitting in the back of their black mustang.

The car itself, though both of theirs, was Adam's pride a joy. They'd bought it the year before as an anniversary present to themselves though it was Adam who cleaned it near obsessively and worried about any possible scratch.

And now Alpha was sitting in it, apparently happily talking to himself as he waited for them, Adam had to admit it was a jarring sight that he probably should have prepared Rocky for.

"I found him in a storage cupboard and got him back online but after the mission he kind of wasn't needed anymore and I couldn't shut him down again, let alone just dump him in a closet, you know? It's Alpha, Rocky. Ok, not our Alpha 5 but still, look at him. It's Alpha. I just couldn't do that to him." He hadn't really thought of it when he'd decided to take Alpha home with him but it had occurred to him a few hours into drive home that Rocky may not be so thrilled with their new office manager for the dojo.

Anxiously, he watched Rocky for some sort of reaction. He wasn't suggesting Alpha should live with the after all, they could set him up with his own little area of the dojo and he'd be just as happy as he had been in the Command Centre.

The moment carried on until Rocky had been silent for over a minute and Adam was getting really nervous.

"Rocky?"

"Marry me." Rocky blurted out, his expression following the words was so startled that Adam couldn't help but ask him

"Ok, did you mean to say that or did you develop a weird form of Tourette's while I was gone?"

"No, I mean yes. God, yes I meant it, I just didn't mean to do it like that." Rocky suddenly looked serious again as he dropped his kit bag to the floor and took Adam's hands in his. Adam watched him with eyes wide, mouth dry and heart pounding. "

You're just, you've got the biggest heart I know. Most people would say a robot wouldn't know any different but you want to give him a home. You ran off to save the world again when we'd already sacrificed the best part of our teens doing it. You're just such a selfless, big-hearted, perfect guy and I want to marry you."

Adam smiled back at him as he answered "Rocky, if you really mean this you have to do it properly."

With a laugh and a grin , Rocky sunk down to one knee in the sidewalk. "Adam Park, love of my life and one of the few men who can pull off skin tight superhero outfits, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Adam's replied was a little choked, not by emotion but by laughter as Rocky moved quickly, wrapping his arms around him and spinning him around.

Once firmly back on the sidewalk, Adam picked up Rocky's bag for him and carried it as they made it back to the car. He stowed the bag in the trunk with his own as Rocky climbed into the driver's seat talking with Alpha.

"Ai-yi-yi a Ranger wedding! I can't wait!" He was cheerfully proclaiming as Adam climbed into the passenger's seat, his back groaning at the feeling of sitting in the car again. As much as he loved his mustang, it had been a hell of a long drive.

As Rocky drove them home and Alpha started planning the ceremony for them already, Adam sat back with his eyes closed just listening to them both.

He was home.


End file.
